Yanks Go Yard
FanSided

Yankees News: Yankees get bad news regarding Chris Capuano

By Caleb Gebrewold

facebooktwitterreddit

After signing a $5 million deal with the New York Yankees left-handed starter Chris Capuano came into camp as the favorite for the role of fifth starter until Ivan Nova returns.  Unfortunately for the veteran southpaw, he is unlikely to head north with the team, as he has joined Nova on the shelf.  During Wednesday’s game versus Boston, Capuano strained his right quadricep while covering first base, and now could be out for over a month.

Manager Joe Girardi stated that:

"It’s going to be a while.  When I say a while, he’s not going to do anything at least for a couple of weeks.  The problem is it’s so early in the process, you’re almost going to have to start over."

Girardi was asked if he thinks that the injury could cost Capuano over a month, and replied “I would think so”.  After seeing the pitching staff battle injuries for the majority of 2014, the Yankees did not envision 2015 starting similarly.  While Capuano was not a big piece of the rotation, he was only supposed to be a fill-in until Nova’s return, each injured starter further depletes the Yankees depth, a luxury they do not have.

More from Yankees News

Capuano received a platelet rich plasma injection Thursday with hopes to speed up his recovery process, and he added:

"It’s disappointing.  It’s a setback.  I know how to work through them.  I have to stay away from baseball activity for a couple of weeks and then will need a couple of weeks to build back up.  I would love to be ready for the start of the season."

While Capuano stated he would love to be ready for Opening Day, as all players would, it is unlikely that he will be.  Expect either Adam Warren, Chase Whitley, or Esmil Rogers to be named the fifth starter until Capuano or Nova’s return.

Capuano could have used a hot start to the season combined with struggles from Nathan Eovaldi to potentially keep his rotation spot upon Nova’s return.  Unfortunately for him, he probably won’t have enough time to make this happen, as his return will still precede Nova’s, but not by much.

While the Yankees top three starters (four if you count Nova) have injury concerns, having the first injury to the staff hit this soon is not a good sign.  The organization is probably fortunate that it was Capuano, who is a replaceable piece, and not somebody else, yet this further shows that more starting pitching depth must be added.

Next: MLB.com releases Yankees Top 30 prospects list

More from Yanks Go Yard

Home/Yankees News